Safety device for gas stoves



Aug. 31, 1937. J. v. KINDL ET AL 2,091,550

SAFETY DEVICE FOR GAS STOVES Filed Feb. 24, 1935 Patented Aug. 31, 19372,091,550 SAFETY DEVICE FOR GAS STOVES Joseph V. Kindl and John J.Slavin, Cleveland,

Ohio, assignors to The W. J. Schoenberger Company, Cleveland, Ohio, acorporation of Application February 24, oss, Serial No. 658,451

2 Claims.

Our invention relates to improvements in 'safety devices for gas stoves,primarily adapted to prevent the escape of the gas into a room ordwelling in the event the gas is accidentally or otherwise turned on.

The invention contemplates the provision of a small but constantlyburning pilot-light or bumer arranged at a point substantiallyequidistant between the several main burners, and in directcommunication with the latter whereby gas will be conducted from themain burners to the pilot where the gas becomes ignited and conveys theflame back to the main burners to ignite or light the same.

Heretofore considerable trouble has been experiencedby manufacturers ofpilot light equipment because the burners of a conventional gas stove,generally four in number, are frequently irregularly spaced with respectto each other, and thus prevent accurate alignment of the gas streamwith respect to the pilot light.

One of the main objects of the invention is to provide adjustable meansat the pilot end of the gas conducting tube which conducts the gas fromthe main burner to the pilot whereby the gas stream can be accuratelydirected towards the center of the pilot flame.

' Another object is to provide means, at that end of the gas conductingtube which receives the gas from the main burner and returns the flameto the main burner, for insuring rapid lighting of the main burner.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for causing the gasto back up in the gas and flame conducting tubes and thereby insuresubstantially instantaneous transfer of flame from the-pilot to the mainburner.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a conventional type of gas stove, thegrill being broken away.

showing the relative position of the burners and illustrating theapplication of the improved light ing device;

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a fragmentarysectional view showing one of the gas and flame conducting tubesinterlocked with a. side wall of the hood, the d8Shdotted lines showingthe position of the tube before its interlocking with said wall;

50 Figure 4 is a side-view of Figure 3; I

usual small openings 4 for the emission of combustible gas fed to tubes3 from a main gas sup,

ply pipe or manifold 5, extending from the usual 10 mains. The flow ofgas to the tubes 3 and thence to the burners is controlled by valves 6,the tubes as usual being provided with air mixers l.

The pilot light comprises a T fitting 8 mounted on one end of a tube 9,the other end of which is 15 connected to the manifold 5. The fitting 8includes a chambered body portion l3, formed .with an upstanding hollowextension or stem l4 threaded exteriorly for a greater portion of itslength and terminating at its upper extremity in 20 a smooth tip portionl5. A needle valve l6 controls the flow of gas through the chamber .26in body portion l3; while transverse openings I! through the walls ofhollow extension l4 supply the necessary air to the gas stream. The size2b of these openings can be regulated by means of threaded washer l8,which also serves as a'stop for a recessed or cup-shaped nut l 9provided with a threaded opening 20 in its bottom wall 2| for threadedengagement with the stem It. A sleeve nut 21 also threadedly mountedupon the pilot stem is adapted to enter'the recess 22 of nut IS inspaced relation to the walls thereof; and when screwed home against thebottom wall 2| locks the recessed nut l9 and-threaded washer I 8 againstturning movement.

The hood Ill, previously referred to, preferably formed of suitablegauge metal stampings, comprises a bottom wall 28, upwardly folded sidewalls 23 integral with the bottom wall, and a removable cap or top 24.The bottom wall 28 of the hood is formed with a centrally disposedopening 2 5 adapted to snugly receive the reduced unthreaded tip portionl5 of pilot stem 14. The hood is rigidly sup'portedon the stem It forfreedom of vertical sliding movement to permit of ready removal thereof,by means of a centrally apertured supporting member 29, having upwardlyextending projecting portions 30 which extend through narrow slots 3| inthe bottom wall of the hood and are adapted to be clinched by bendingthe extended ends of the prongs back 'upon themselves against the upperface of the bottom wall of the hood. Thearrangement of the prongs andslots is such that opening 32 in the supporting member will registerwith the opening 23 in the bottom wall of the hood when these parts areassembled. Member 23 is also formed with symmetrically arrangeddepending 5 flat'flngers 33 adapted to removably enter the recessed nutis and snugly engage or grip the flat 7 polygonal faces 21' of sleevenut 21.

In the present embodiment, the sleeve nut 21 is of hexagonal shape andthe equally spaced 1o fingers 33 are three in number, and correspond inwidth to the width of the faces 21' of nut 21. Consequently the fingerswill engage alternate faces with wrench like eifect when the hood ismounted upon the pilot. The member 23 thus- 13 servesnot only to supportthe hood removably upon the pilot stem-for rotary adjustment, but alsoprovides convenient means for screwing up and unscrewing the sleevedlock nut 21 incident to assembly operations. The lock nut adjustments,preferably made at the factory, are such that the tip portion ll of thepilot stem will protrude through and slightly above the bottom wall ofthe hood, and the conducting tube openings 34 will face toward the mainburners 2. Thereafter 25 any necessary adjustments will be so slight asnot to interfere with the desired pilot flame action, as it will be seenthat the hood can be rotated within a relatively wide range withoutcausing any considerable change iiiheight of the hood. The pilot will ofcourse, always remain stationary, any slight vertical adjustmentrelative to the horizontal axis of lighten tube 3 being made at thefactory, by bending or arching the tube as at 33 to-conform to themanifold 35 and main burner set-up requirements submitted by individualstove manufacturers. When seated within the recessed nut l3, the fingers33 are protected from the deteriorating and distorting eflect of theheat, and consequently are not Q iiable to become jammed,

Each side wall 23 of hood I3 is formed with a relatively large roundopening 34 for loosely receiving the inner ends of the gas and flameconducting tubes 33, one for each main burner 2, which tubes areconnected at their outer ends to the main burners. Fingers 31 dependingfrom the top portion of the wall of each opening 34 are adapted toloosely enter or fit in openings or slots 43 formed in the upper portionof the inner end of each tube 33 and thus hold the tubes removably 'inplace, the tubes being free for slight adjustment in any direction.These fingers are slightly bent at their lower ends in an outwardlydirection, and preferably are sufllciently flexible to facilitateassembly of the tubes by forcing the fingers inwardly after the tubes 33have been assembled in the manner described in our co-pendingapplication Serial No. 658,450 filed February 24, 1933. Y

(50 Tubular extensions 33 sleeved on the outer ends of tubes 33 forlongitudinal adjustment relative thereto, are fixed in any, desiredadjusted position by set screws 33. Each of these extensions is providedatits outer end with upper and lower 5 lip portions 43 and 43'respectively. Arranged at each side of these extensions midway betweenthe lip portions, is a forwardly and inwardly inclined projecting finger33. A'nipple 51 rigidly supported between the outer extremities of these7 fingersis secured thereto by riveting or in any suitable manner. Thelowerv end'of this nipple is preferably beveled to snugly but removablyfit in a correspondingly shaped opening 43 formed in each burner 2 byenlarging one of the burner 75 holes 44 thereof. This arrangementpermits of the nipple being rigidly supported and also makes it possibleto have the gas passage 33 coincide with the longitudinal axis ofextension 33 and tube 33. Heretofore it has been the practice to extendthe lip 43' and mount the nipple in the 5 end thereof but this hasproven unsatisfactory because the lip would frequently become bent dueto rough handling and dropping. In the present construction lip 43',which is much shorter than upper lip 43 terminates short of nipple 31and 10 burner 2. The stream of gas emitted from burner 2 is axiallyguided through he extension 33 and tube 33 by the fingers 33, w le theopenings or slots 33 and 33 above and below these fingers surround thegas stream and insure proper 1:; mixture. The converging fingers 33 alsoserve in cooperation with the. lips 43-40' and'the nipple 51, to deliverthe returning flame to all parts of the burner.

Whenever the burners 2 are turned on or 20 whenever gas leaks occur,sufncient gas flows through nipples 31 into tubular extensions 33 andthence through tubes 33 to the hood l3 enclosing the tip portion ii ofthe pilot where the gas becomes ignited and conveys the flame back 5 tothe burners.

The top or cap member 24 is secured to the hood by means of flatprojecting portions II, extending upwardly from each side wall of thehood, adapted to be inserted in correspondingly 30 shaped slots 3|formed in the cover, and then bent back upon themselves against thetopface of the cover as best illustrated in Figure 2.

In mounting the lighter, the hood can be rotated slightly in eitherdirection ,to bring the '35 tubes 33 vinto axial alinement with theburner openings 43, by merely loosening threaded washer I 3 and sleevenut 21. The outer ends of .tubes 33 can also be elevated slightly, dueto the loose fit of the inner ends thereof in openings 34 ino the pilothousing, so that nipples 31 can be conveniently inserted in the openings43, without danger of the tubes becoming disconnected from the housingduring this operation. This loose fit also insures a desirable supply ofsecondary air 5 to the pilot adjacent the point of gas discharge fromthe tubes 33. The pilot housing Ill and tubes 33 are readily removableas a unit for cleaning or inspection purposes, and when so removed thetubes will be held against accidental w displacement by the fingers 31.

The inner ends of tubes 33 fit loosely. in the openings 34 and are thusfree to be moved slightly in any direction in order'to direct the streamof gas issuing therefrom directly towards the 55 center of the pilotflame issuing from the tip or nipple portion ii of the pilot. Howeverthis' flexibility has not provenadequate under all conditions andarrangements of main burner as semblies. In order to overcome thisobjection a sleeved or cup-shaped washer '32 is snugly but adjustablymounted in the inner end of each tube 33, the end wall 53 of the washerbeing formed with a substantially round opening 34 eccentrically mountedwith respect to the axis of the end a wall and tube. The periphery ofopening 34 preferably passes through or extends to the longitudinalaxisof tube 33 so that the gas issuing from the opening can be directed toany desired point within the circumferential range of the tube 33,.bymerely turning the sleeved washer about its axis. A plurality of smallopenings 33 are formed in the sleeve portion of washer 33, adapted toregister with the opening 43 formed in tube 33 for the reception offingers 31. The sleeve 7 washer can thus be locked in any desiredadjusted position.

As the sleeved washers 52 completely close the ends of tubes 36 with theexception of the relatively small passage provided through theeccentrically arranged opening 54, the gas flowing from the main burnerswill back up or accumulate suificiently to cause an explosion when thegas emitted through opening 54 becomes ignited by the pilot flame. Theflame will thus be communicated to the main burners practicallyinstantaneously.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is: t

1. In a lighter, the combination of a burner, a source of fuel supplytherefor, a pilot, a housing for said pilot having an opening therein, atubular connection communicating at one end with said housing and at itsother end with said burner, a sleeve movably mounted in the firstmentioned end of said connection having a tubular end wall provided withan eccentrically arranged opening therein, and means on said housing forlocking said sleeve in said tubular connection and said tubularconnection in said housing.

2. In a lighter, the combination of a burner, a source of fuel supplytherefor, a pilot, a housing for said pilot having an opening therein, atubular connection communicating at one end with said housing and at itsother end with said burner, a sleeve movably mounted in the firstmentioned end of said connection having a tubular end wall provided withan eccentrically arranged opening therein, said tubular connection andsleeve having registering openings therein, and a finger on said housingadapted to seat in said registering openings to lock said sleeve indesired adjusted position.

JOSEPH V. KINDL. JOHN J. SLAVIN.

